Advice for a New Host

[Anika191]

Hello all.  I'm a new host, and I'd like your advice or experiences regarding reviews and guests.

We've hosted 6 reservations so far.  Most were for a weekend or just a few days, but one was for a month.  Of these reservations, only two have left reviews so far; the long-stay guest, and a person I gave a discounted rate to in order for their review and honest private feedback.  

Our PM sends friendly check-out messages to each guest telling them reviews are important and to please leave us a review if they enjoyed their stay.  

One of the guests who did not review left a message in the app saying everything was good and they enjoyed themselves.

One of the guests who did not review left a nice note in the guest book with a hand drawing.  Technically, they have a few hours left to review.

What gives?  Without seeming desperate, how do you encourage guests to leave reviews?  We lost our 'New' designation during our long-stay guest, and we have an ok amount of future bookings, but what more can we do?

My second question surrounds a host who just checked out yesterday.  We allowed an early check-in, and everything went seemingly well at first, but they had an unregistered guest on the final night of their stay, which exceeded the maximum capacity of the unit, and left the property unlocked at check out.  They also left the door unlocked during most of their stay, even overnight.  How would you handle that guest?  I told the property manager and the unit was fine when he inspected it, but would you say anything either in your review or the private note section?  We did change the settings on the lock so that it auto-locks after being unlocked for 5 minutes.

Thank you in advance.

[Anika191]

We do review every guest too.

[Shelley159]

Hi @Anika191 

Many of us struggle with the issue of not getting reviewed by each guest, you're not the only one! Here is a recent similar thread about reviews:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Host-Circle/review/m-p/2030116#M58582

[Emilie]

Hi @Anika191, 

I understand it can be a source of frustration, thank you for asking our community for some advice! 

Shelley shared a really useful discussion where a few hosts weigh in on this question, and in addition I wanted to mention a few more experienced eyes: - @Jason2680 @Joey28 @Amy3326 @Patricia3721 @Andrea6232 @Guy991 how do you approach this yourselves?

Thank you everyone 🙂

Emilie

[Andrea6232]

Ciao @Anika191 ,

@Shelley159 is right, you don't get a review for every guest, keep offering a good service and reviews will come by themselves 😉

Andrea

[Anika191]

Thank you @Shelley159 and @Andrea6232 for your feedback.

I will continue providing top-notch, 5-star service and thoughtful touches. I will also try to relax about the reviews or lack thereof and not stress out about them. Easier said than done. 😉  Thankfully, I have an experienced co-host to help me out, but it helps to hear all of you echo basically the same thing.

[Jason2680]

Really what you’re asking is…in spite of not getting many reviews yet, what can I be doing to make sure I’m earning all the bookings I can get? Lack of reviews is not hurtful to you or future guests. There’s not much you can do without seeming pushy to some guests. Maybe post a modest sign in your unit telling guests how much you’d appreciate reviews and how much reviews may mean to future guests. 

Be careful with an auto-lock setting on your door lock. If you have a smart lock or other lock that requires a code for entry, what if a child or someone other than the person receiving your emails needs to step out briefly. How would they get back inside? Maybe the person with the code is asleep or went to grab groceries. Think that through and be prepared for accidental lockouts.

Lastly, always know your competition. Study their listings. Review their calendar to see if they have more bookings. You should easily be able to find your strongest competitors. You’ll want to know how they describe their place in the listing. What are they emphasizing? Are they targeting family vacationers? Or business travelers? Or couples on a weekend retreat? Take cues from the best in your market. No need to reinvent the wheel when all you have to do is use your best competitors as a base template from which you can build a great listing. 

Good luck!!!

[Anika191]

@Jason2680 Thank you for your feedback.  I have actually been a guest at our competition, so I check their listing regularly.  😀

I'm thankful that you mentioned the downside of the auto-lock.  Are there tips or tricks to ensure guests lock the property (for their safety and mine!) either while they are in and sleeping or after they've checked out?

[Jason2680]

I don’t know of any magic dust for that one. Some of my guests never lock the door.

[Lorina14]

@Anika191 

I have a welcome board, snacks, teas, coffees, a guest book and also ask for a review in a handwritten note that I thank them for booking with us, let us know if you need anything to make your stay more comfortable, and please submit a review in a week as every review counts. Many people write in the guest book and submit a review too, some write only in the guestbook and no review, but we get reviews from almost all of our guests. I think the key is providing a great space, good instructions/communication, and asking for a review (I don’t suggest what they should rate me at or give a guideline like some hosts do (i.e. some airbnbs I’ve seen say, I aim for a five star experience so please contact me if there is anything we could do to make it better - but some guests don’t know that super hosts need a 4.8 or higher each quarter (in addition to other criteria) and a host could get suspended for getting low marks too (is it lower than a 4.5? I forgot it’s on many threads and posted in the terms and conditions)). 

I also mention in my short checkout instructions if they could kindly submit a review in a week it would be appreciated. Some people forget and some people never review. You should also be careful for offering incentives for a review as I don’t think that is allowed. It is supposed to be unbiased and honest from both accounts. 

Wishing you the best on your hosting journey!

[Anika191]

Thank you for your feedback @Lorina14 .  I too offer coffee, teas, and popcorn.  I have a handwritten note in our guestbook, but since I'm 2 1/2 hours away, I cannot handwrite a note to every guest.  I do work with my co-host to leave personal touches, and I'm there often enough that sometimes I'm the one leaving them.  We've left flowers for a guest undergoing a personal matter, ginger candies for a guest undergoing cancer treatment, and I'll be leaving holiday cocoa for our Christmas guests this week.

The co-host does leave a message after the guest check-in to ensure they are enjoying their stay and to let us know if we can do anything to make the stay more enjoyable.  He also messages after check-out expressing our hope that they had a wonderful stay and politely asking for a review, but does not say anything about a 5 star stay.  I would say overall our co-host's communications are so friendly and nice, and without pressure.

I've strived to make a very cozy stay for our guests.  However, without feedback, its hard to know if I'm missing the mark or not.  Originally, the ask to the friend was before I had any reviews and I wanted her honest feedback as to what to improve.  It was low season, and I did still charge her.  Her honest feedback was to provide sugar.  We happily obliged!  😀

I think we've just had a string of non-reviewers at the beginning where it matters most.  Frustrating, but I'm going to continue to provide the personal touches that are important to me, and hope that future guests see the value.

[Lorina14]

@Anika191 

You do go above and beyond and it shows with your thoughtful gifts/amenities. I leave fresh flowers with each guest, hot cocoa, cream, sugar, stevia, butter, water, soda, non dairy creamers, cough drops, fruit, granola, chocolate, popcorn and more. If it’s a birthday I leave cake/sweet treat or an anniversary/special occasion wine/champagne and a treat. It is what I think are nice touches for a guest and they appreciate it. Not everyone can or wants to do this for guests and that’s fine; it depends on who your ideal guest/target market is. It’s how I show my hospitality and make a stay special for a guest regardless of the reason they chose to visit our area as I know there are many choices for accommodations in the area.

In the checkout I do also ask for them to kindly let us know if anything needs attention or suggestions for the space and we have had some good feedback. Sometimes hosts recommend to stay in your own space a night or two to see what you may desire for a visit.

I think you just have to be patient and you will get good reviews over time with the type of hosting you provide. Communication with guests during their stay or prior to their stay may also open lines of communication so they may feel inclined to give suggestions or write a review. I think good reviews and recent stays are factors that help one get a guest favorite status (the exact algorithm is not known to us but that is what most have seen are factors for that).